15th century, in the transitive sense 1a(1) In industries where certain brands have become synonymous with their original product, new brands can easily be thrown out of play. I hated that the city`s response to the tragedy and suffering was to suffocate the affected family carefully. Many businesses in the city are suffocating because they delay their return to work or, worse, choose to work from home forever. Find out which words work together to create more natural English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. borrowed from the Latin suffÅcÄtus, ancient participle of suffÅcÄre “to suffocate, suffocate, extract air, press”, from suf-, assimilated form of sub- sub- + -fÅcÄre, verbal derivation of falc-, false (usually plural falucÄs) “upper part of the throat, pharynx, trachea”, of obscure origin They suffocated first, and later their bodies were swallowed into the stomach of the earth. Many women in these times scream that something is broken in the throat, and they fear suffocation. The discovery that plants need sunlight to grow, or that fish suffocate when they emerge from the water, requires no quantification. Choking can also mean dying from lack of oxygen. If you are a miner trapped in a collapsed mine, you may suffocate. Less seriously, if your school`s ventilation system is turned off, you may feel like you`re suffocating.

And if your art teacher insists that you produce Dadaist paintings, you may feel like she`s trying to stifle your talent. In fact, before he had time to suffocate, MacPherson was there. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Selfby Danielle Evans A powerful collection of short stories from a rising star. Find the answers online with Practical English Usage, your go-to guide to problems in English. His adopted daughter tried to suffocate a younger biological brother. We read letters on Zoom, stuffy family dinners, the role of sound and music, birthdays, and racially charged get-togethers. The most important development, however, will depend on sanctions aimed at stifling the regime, a current point of division. Somewhere in the theater you can also hear a sweet “helper” moaning: a woman chokes on her own tears.

When you suffocate, you have trouble breathing, either because you are strangled to death or because you are in a suffocating room. They can also suffocate figuratively when something is restricted. Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press! The gas escaping from this crack is so strong that it would suffocate a person holding his head close to the ground. The trade embargo is choking the country`s economy. They pay to cope with crackling health waves, violent hurricanes and choking smoke from wildfires. Insects do not suffocate easily, and in most cases it is worse than useless to drill air holes in such boxes.